By now you are beginning to learn about and appreciate the many ways forensic science can be used to help investigators solve a crime. Besides the activities you have done or will be doing, there are many other scientific procedures used in collecting evidence. One procedure or area of research that Canada is recognized as a world leader in is forensic entomology (entomology is the study of insects.)
Forensic entomology relies on the fact that insects, especially flies, will lay their eggs in dead animal flesh. For a period of time the insect lives on the flesh before it eventually leaves. By knowing the life cycle of the insect, investigators can approximate how long the flesh has been dead.
A real life example of this may occur when a murder is committed. As soon as that person is dead, insects will infest the body. Insects go through several distinctive phases in their life and over time different insects will come and go from the body. The investigator can determine how long the body is dead based on the type of insect and the stage in the life cycle the insect is in at the time the body is discovered.
What scientists do not know is if the same species of insect found all over Canada has the same DNA or genetic material. Your task will be to build an insect trap and collect insects from around your school and home. Then you will identify the type of insects you have caught. The insects and your identification results will then be sent to Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, B.C. There your results will be combined with results submitted from students all over Canada. The forensic entomologists will then use the data to continue their research. Research that is important for them and for the field of forensic entomology. Research that you and other young scientist across Canada will be participating in throughout the school year.
To begin your research you will have to build an insect trap. Your teacher will provide you with detailed information on how to build the trap.
You will also need to consider where you will place your trap. It will need to be somewhere dry and out of the reach of animals.
Your trap will be placed outside for ____________ weeks.
Once you have your trap back from being outside you will need to begin identifying the insects. You should have insects in the top bag as well as in the food. First you will want to separate the insects into groups based on visible similarities. Then use a dissecting microscope and the identification charts provided by your teacher, identify the insects in your sample. Once the insects are identified you will need to do the following
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